An Unknown Girl, An Unknown Story
Chapter 2: The First Leg of the Journey
Harry woke up that morning with a start.
He'd had another nightmare. They weren't as frequent since he had come back to Hogwarts, but this one.
He couldn't remember most of it, as is with most dreams, but there was one image stuck in his brain during every waking moment for the next few days.
It was a body.
It was hard to tell any features, for the body was bathed in darkness. It wasn't hard to tell who it was, though. There was only one dead body he could remember seeing in his entire life.
Cedric.
Harry sighed as he got out of bed,and began the long trek to Dumbledore's office.
*** Seamus wasn't normally a crying person. That night, though, he had become one. To lose one of your best friends wasn't easy. And to actually witness their murder was. horrifying. He couldn't think of a better word to describe it.
Seamus had no idea how long it had been since he and Jessie took the portkey from Hogwarts. It felt like an eternity.
He decided to go back to Hogwarts. If they had been gone long, people would be looking for them. Not that it made it any easier to sneak a dead body from one end of the castle to the other.
A little while ago he had remembered that the familiar statue looked exactly the same as the statue of Professor Binns. It must be the portkey back.
Seamus carried Jessie to it and touched it. A second later, he was at Hogwarts.
He looked around, and saw Ernie MacMillan, the Hufflepuff prefect, walking down the hall. His back was turned to them. Good. Seamus started up the nearest staircase when-
"Damn!" Seamus had stepped in the trick stair. He looked around, but Ernie was already hurrying towards them.
"Seamus!" Exclaimed Ernie when he had reached them.
"Ernie, just help me get her to Dumbledore," said Seamus, not wanting to explain everything to Ernie.
"Alright." Ernie replied.
***
I'm not going to ask; I'm not going to ask, thought Ernie as they neared Dumbledore's office.
They got to the stone gargoyles and Ernie leaned over to whisper the password.
"Sugar Quill."
The gargoyles dutifully sprang apart and let them through.
They walked up the circular staircase, and Ernie stopped when they reached the top.
"Seamus." Ernie said.
"Yeah?"
"I. I just wanted you to know." Ernie stammered. "I - I mean, I don't know what happened tonight," he indicated Jessie. "But. I'm here if you need me. Just. just owl me or something."
"Okay." Seamus said. "I'll remember that." And with that, he carried Jessie into Dumbledore's office.
*** ". I can't remember much of it anyway." Said Harry, just before the door slammed open.
He wasn't surprised to see Seamus standing in the doorway. That is, he wasn't as surprised to see him than what he was carrying.
He was carrying a body. Jessie's body. And she looked very much dead.
He was starting to rethink his analysis of the dream now.
"Harry, could you excuse us?" Asked Dumbledore.
*** Harry walked out, and closed the door behind him.
Dumbledore turned to Seamus. "Is she dead?"
"Yes."
"I thought so. It seems Voldemort-" Seamus cringed, "-has gotten rid one one of the last obstacles."
"Sir?" Seamus was confused.
"You are aware that Voldemort is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin?"
"Yes, sir."
"Are you also aware that Jessica was the last remaining descendant of Godric Gryffindor?" Seamus shook his head. "There is a prophecy of sorts, Mr. Finnigan. The last descendant of Gryffindor would defeat the last descendant of Slytherin, or die trying."
"In other words," Seamus thought out loud, "Jessie would defeat Voldemort or die trying." Dumbledore nodded. "And she died."
"The funny thing about these prophecies, Mr. Finnegan." Dumbledore said. "Jessie died, but she didn't die trying. Perhaps you should look into that. Goodnight, Mr. Finnegan."
Seamus walked to his dormitory, trying to figure out what Dumbledore meant by what he had said. He was so tired that he fell asleep as his head hit the pillow.
*** The next morning, on the bulletin board, Harry saw a strange message.
Friends of Jessica Owens
Meet tonight at 7 pm In the Great Hall For a funeral FRIENDS ONLY
Well, he could be counted as a friend, Harry thought. He decided to go.
*** Seamus was looking at himself in the mirror as he finished telling Dean about what happened in the graveyard.
"And they just left?" Asked Dean as they walked out of the room and to the Great Hall. "Didn't even come for you?"
"Yeah. Wonder why," said Seamus. Helloked down at the scars on his wrists. He wouldn't let Madame Pomfrey heal the scars when she'd treated him earlier that day. He wanted to remember. He wanted to see them everyday and know that the people responsible for this were still walking free. He'd made a vow to get revenge.
Dean's abrupt stop had brought Seamus back to the real world. They had arrived in the Great Hall already. There were a handul of people there for the funeral. He could spot Harry. Hermione was there too, she was part of Jessie's study group. He saw Ernie in the group. Hannah Abbot and a Ravenclaw or two were also ther, obviously part of the study group as well. That was about it, besides Dean and himself.
The funeral was short. Everybody knew Jessie wouldn't want a big ceremony. It took place at an out-of-the-way spot on the school grounds. She was buried, and Dumbledore said something about how she was a good student, and what a shame it was that she had died. Seamus couldn't bear to listen to him. He couldn't help but feel as if a Dementor was standing right beside him. He know knew why Harry had such bad reactions to them.
After the service, he and Dean walked silently back up to the dormitory. He quietly got dressed for bed. Then he climbed into his four-poster and wrenched his hangings shut around him, and waited for sleep to claim him.
*** A loud clap of thunder woke Seamus in the middle of the night. He couldn't stand just laying there, so he got up and moved to the window.
The rain was pouring, but not too hard. He thought he saw a dark figure by the lake, but it was probably just the light playing tricks on his eyes.
He could see Jessie's grave from here. But something immediately caught his attention. It was dug up, and the coffin was laying empty on the ground near it.
Jessie was gone.
Harry woke up that morning with a start.
He'd had another nightmare. They weren't as frequent since he had come back to Hogwarts, but this one.
He couldn't remember most of it, as is with most dreams, but there was one image stuck in his brain during every waking moment for the next few days.
It was a body.
It was hard to tell any features, for the body was bathed in darkness. It wasn't hard to tell who it was, though. There was only one dead body he could remember seeing in his entire life.
Cedric.
Harry sighed as he got out of bed,and began the long trek to Dumbledore's office.
*** Seamus wasn't normally a crying person. That night, though, he had become one. To lose one of your best friends wasn't easy. And to actually witness their murder was. horrifying. He couldn't think of a better word to describe it.
Seamus had no idea how long it had been since he and Jessie took the portkey from Hogwarts. It felt like an eternity.
He decided to go back to Hogwarts. If they had been gone long, people would be looking for them. Not that it made it any easier to sneak a dead body from one end of the castle to the other.
A little while ago he had remembered that the familiar statue looked exactly the same as the statue of Professor Binns. It must be the portkey back.
Seamus carried Jessie to it and touched it. A second later, he was at Hogwarts.
He looked around, and saw Ernie MacMillan, the Hufflepuff prefect, walking down the hall. His back was turned to them. Good. Seamus started up the nearest staircase when-
"Damn!" Seamus had stepped in the trick stair. He looked around, but Ernie was already hurrying towards them.
"Seamus!" Exclaimed Ernie when he had reached them.
"Ernie, just help me get her to Dumbledore," said Seamus, not wanting to explain everything to Ernie.
"Alright." Ernie replied.
***
I'm not going to ask; I'm not going to ask, thought Ernie as they neared Dumbledore's office.
They got to the stone gargoyles and Ernie leaned over to whisper the password.
"Sugar Quill."
The gargoyles dutifully sprang apart and let them through.
They walked up the circular staircase, and Ernie stopped when they reached the top.
"Seamus." Ernie said.
"Yeah?"
"I. I just wanted you to know." Ernie stammered. "I - I mean, I don't know what happened tonight," he indicated Jessie. "But. I'm here if you need me. Just. just owl me or something."
"Okay." Seamus said. "I'll remember that." And with that, he carried Jessie into Dumbledore's office.
*** ". I can't remember much of it anyway." Said Harry, just before the door slammed open.
He wasn't surprised to see Seamus standing in the doorway. That is, he wasn't as surprised to see him than what he was carrying.
He was carrying a body. Jessie's body. And she looked very much dead.
He was starting to rethink his analysis of the dream now.
"Harry, could you excuse us?" Asked Dumbledore.
*** Harry walked out, and closed the door behind him.
Dumbledore turned to Seamus. "Is she dead?"
"Yes."
"I thought so. It seems Voldemort-" Seamus cringed, "-has gotten rid one one of the last obstacles."
"Sir?" Seamus was confused.
"You are aware that Voldemort is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin?"
"Yes, sir."
"Are you also aware that Jessica was the last remaining descendant of Godric Gryffindor?" Seamus shook his head. "There is a prophecy of sorts, Mr. Finnigan. The last descendant of Gryffindor would defeat the last descendant of Slytherin, or die trying."
"In other words," Seamus thought out loud, "Jessie would defeat Voldemort or die trying." Dumbledore nodded. "And she died."
"The funny thing about these prophecies, Mr. Finnegan." Dumbledore said. "Jessie died, but she didn't die trying. Perhaps you should look into that. Goodnight, Mr. Finnegan."
Seamus walked to his dormitory, trying to figure out what Dumbledore meant by what he had said. He was so tired that he fell asleep as his head hit the pillow.
*** The next morning, on the bulletin board, Harry saw a strange message.
Friends of Jessica Owens
Meet tonight at 7 pm In the Great Hall For a funeral FRIENDS ONLY
Well, he could be counted as a friend, Harry thought. He decided to go.
*** Seamus was looking at himself in the mirror as he finished telling Dean about what happened in the graveyard.
"And they just left?" Asked Dean as they walked out of the room and to the Great Hall. "Didn't even come for you?"
"Yeah. Wonder why," said Seamus. Helloked down at the scars on his wrists. He wouldn't let Madame Pomfrey heal the scars when she'd treated him earlier that day. He wanted to remember. He wanted to see them everyday and know that the people responsible for this were still walking free. He'd made a vow to get revenge.
Dean's abrupt stop had brought Seamus back to the real world. They had arrived in the Great Hall already. There were a handul of people there for the funeral. He could spot Harry. Hermione was there too, she was part of Jessie's study group. He saw Ernie in the group. Hannah Abbot and a Ravenclaw or two were also ther, obviously part of the study group as well. That was about it, besides Dean and himself.
The funeral was short. Everybody knew Jessie wouldn't want a big ceremony. It took place at an out-of-the-way spot on the school grounds. She was buried, and Dumbledore said something about how she was a good student, and what a shame it was that she had died. Seamus couldn't bear to listen to him. He couldn't help but feel as if a Dementor was standing right beside him. He know knew why Harry had such bad reactions to them.
After the service, he and Dean walked silently back up to the dormitory. He quietly got dressed for bed. Then he climbed into his four-poster and wrenched his hangings shut around him, and waited for sleep to claim him.
*** A loud clap of thunder woke Seamus in the middle of the night. He couldn't stand just laying there, so he got up and moved to the window.
The rain was pouring, but not too hard. He thought he saw a dark figure by the lake, but it was probably just the light playing tricks on his eyes.
He could see Jessie's grave from here. But something immediately caught his attention. It was dug up, and the coffin was laying empty on the ground near it.
Jessie was gone.